High-Profile Product Launches Offer Lessons On Chip Cards

York, England,  November 11, 2005 - Despite some significant early challenges, retailers and financial institutions are learning that innovative uses of multi-application chip-card will enhance the customer's total experience and lift brand value, says Simon Jarvis, a director of client relations for TSYS Europe.

"Several recent chip-based product launches suggest that the technology is not in question, but the issuer's application of the technology will determine the venture's success," says Mr. Jarvis, who manages the Barclaycard relationship for TSYS Europe.

Organizations that are considering multi-application chip projects must consider whether the technology properly matches the chosen delivery channels, while not losing focus on the fundamental consumer value propositions.

Mr. Jarvis will compare the multi-application successes and challenges encountered in recent high-profile deployments in the U.K. and United States on 17 November during Cartes 2005, the 20th anniversary for Europe's largest symposium for smart cards and identification technology. The congress will be held 15-17 November in Paris at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. For more information, see www.cartes.com.

Mr. Jarvis has more than 15 years' experience in the payments industry. Jarvis spent three years with HSBC in various strategic and payment-system roles before joining Visa International in 1992. His 10-year term with Visa included marketing and relationship-management roles in the U.K. and the United States, culminating as the senior vice president for VisaNet services. Mr. Jarvis has supported Barclaycard on such high-profile projects as the SkyCard, launched earlier this year. A language graduate, Mr. Jarvis also holds a master's degree in business administration from the Manchester Business School.

About TSYS
TSYS (www.tsys.com) is one of the world's largest companies for outsourced payment services, offering a broad range of issuer and acquirer processing technologies that support consumer finance, credit, debit and prepaid services for financial institutions and retail companies in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS (NYSE: TSS) is 80 percent held by Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV), one of FORTUNE magazine's "Most Admired Companies" and a member of its "100 Best Companies to Work For" Hall of Fame. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.

Contacts
Cyle Mims
TSYS Media Relations
+1.706.644.3110
cylemims@tsys.com